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Jennifer Lopez to Play Real-Life Drug Lord 'The Cocaine Godmother' in HBO Film

By Sophie Schillaci 1:11 PM PDT, August 10, 2016

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Jennifer Lopez is getting gritty.

The Shades of Blue star is set to play real-life drug lord Griselda Blanco -- also known as "The Cocaine Godmother" -- in an upcoming HBO film. Blanco has been credited with revolutionizing the U.S. drug trade through the 1970s and 1980s, becoming the most powerful female cartel member in history.

"I've been fascinated by the life of this corrupt and complicated woman for many years," Lopez, 47, said in a statement. "The idea of teaming with HBO felt like the perfect fit for finally bringing Griselda's story to life."

Bringing Blanco's story to the screen has clearly been a longtime passion project for Lopez.

"It's one of those characters that will go down in history. Jennifer Lopez is chasing that [role] like crazy," Mark Wahlberg told MTV back in 2012. He was working on a separate production, titled Cocaine Cowboys, for Paramount at the time.

Lopez will executive produce the HBO project through her Nuyorican Productions company.

And just like that, the busiest woman in showbiz just got busier. Last month, Lopez announced that she would be working on a new reality dance competition series on NBC in addition to her ongoing work on Shades of Blue. Meanwhile, her high-octane Las Vegas residency show is scheduled to continue through February at Caesars Palace and she continues to find time to write and record new music!